Trimming device for knitting-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. O. GOVELL, E. S. GRAM 8: W. E. SHEEHAN.

TRIMMING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Patented Aug. 21, 1888.

QM imam 8% 70 68% M F (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

BO. GOVELL, E. S. ORAM 82; W. E. SHE'EHAN.

TRIMMING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

N0. 888,183. Patented Aug. 21, 1888.

NITE

FFECEQ EDGAR C. COVELL, ELISHA S. CRAM, AND VILLIAM E. SHEEHAN, OFLACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

TRIMIVIING DEVICE FOR KNlTTlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 388,183, dated August21, 1888.

Application filed June 7, 1886. Serial No. 204,329. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDGAR O. COVELL, ELISHA S. CRAM, and \VILLIAM E.SHEEHAN, of Laconia, in the county of Belk nap and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TrimmingDevices for Knitting-Machines, of which the fo1- lowing is aspecification.

Our invention relates to knittingmachines, and particularly tocontrivanccs whereby the edge of a previously-knit fabric picked uponthe needles in the process of knitting and projecting from the course orline of stitches by which it is joined to the main web is trimmed off inthe process of finishing the completed fabric.

It is the object of the invention to pro vide a mode whereby thetrimming aforesaid may be accomplished expeditiously, resulting in amaterial saving of time, and also to effect the trimming so as to leavea course or fraction of a course of loops of the trimmed-oft edge in therow of loops by which the previously-knit web is joined to the main web,which last-mentioned row or course of loops is usually open, or what isbetter known as a slack course, so that in finishing the fabric theprojecting row or fractional part of a row of loops aforesaid may befilled in said slack course to fill up the otherwise open loops ormeshes.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a trimming devicewhich may be operated in connection or combination with the needles orknitting or fabric-forming means, whereby the trimming may be effectedautomatically 'and while the knitting or fabricforming means are inoperation, whereby the foregoing method may be practiced.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a trimming-knife ofsuch construction as will permit of trimming close to the needles andavoid contact with and injury to the barbs or hooks of the same.

It is also the object of the invention to provide the trimming devicewith a guiding contrivance adapted to operate in connection with theneedles and needle head or cylinder in such manner that the projectingedge of the fabric to be trimmed ofi" may be properly guided to thetrimming device to be trimmed at precisely the desired point.

It is also the object of the invention to provide means whereby thetrimming device may be readily adjusted in and thrown out of 0perativeposition with respect to the knitting mechanism irrespective of theoperative or quiescent state of the latter.

It is also the object of the invention to so construct the pulley orpulleys by which the shaft carrying the rotary cutter isoperated thatthe belt may be readily shifted thereon from the fast to the looseportion of the pulley.

It is also the object of the invention to provide means for adjustingthe trimming device nearer to or farther from the needles, for thepurpose of varying the amount of fabric or the fractional part of acourse of loops left in the course by which the previously-knit fabricwas picked upon the needles.

It is also the object of the invention to provide means whereby one ofthe knives of the trimming device may be held against the other with ayielding pressure,in order to secure certainty in the operation of theknives.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a guide for carryingthe trimmed-off edge away from the needles and other operative parts ofthe machine, to avoid damage to the fabric and machine in the operationsof the latter.

It is also the object of the invention to pro vide means for lubricating the rotating cuttingknife to avoid friction and wear of theparts.

It is also the object of the invention to incidentally improve themachine in carrying out the hereinbefore-mentioned objects.

To the foregoing ends our invention consists in the devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described in such manner that thoseskilled in the art may make and use the invention, the latter beingparticularly set forth in the claims hereto appended.

Of the drawings hereto annexed and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a plan View of a knitting-head havingourimprovemenis applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectionthereof on the line as 00, Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 represent detailviews hereinafter referred to.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, a represents the bed or table in which the needlecylinder or head I) is adapted to rotate. a is the driving-shaft,havingsecured thereto the bevel-wheel d, meshing with a like wheel, 6, formedupon or secured to the lower end of the cylinder 1), the wheels (I 6being shown in dotted lines only in Fig. 1. The needlts fare of thebarbed or spring-beard class, and are secured to the cylinder by theclamping-sections g, in the usual well-known manner. Indeed all of the.parts thus far described are of common constrnction, and a machine thusconstructed is adapted to be equipped with a yarn-guide, aloop or stitchwheel, a sinker or dividing wheel,apresser-wheel,and landing andknocking-over wheels, all constructed and arranged to assist inperforming the functions of knitting a plain web, in a manner wellunderstood by knitting artisans, and fully illustrated and described onpage 221, Vol. II, of Appletons Cyclopedia of Applied Mechanics. (NewYork, D. Appleton 8t 00., 1885.) These last mentioned devices form nopart of our invention, and for the sake of clearncss of illustration areomitted from the drawings.

it represents a plate or base attached to the bed a,in which is securedin any suitable manner an upright standard or shaft, z, to the upper endof which is clamped or otherwise secured a bracket, j, supporting atitsforward endthe usual push-back 0r cloth-presser, 70, as is clearlyrepresented in Fig. 1. Below the bracketj, and secured on the samestandard therewith, is another bracket, Z, in which is clamped a rod,m,havinga pin, n, on which the clearing-wheel 0 is journaled.

On standard 2', below bracket Z and between a fixed collar, 1), and theplate h,is a frame, q, adapted to be oscillated on said standard bymeans of an arm, nextending forward from the frame q between the plate 8and base-plate 71, the studs or screws t 2, by means of which saidfirst-mentioned plate is secured to the base, limiting the extent ofthelateral move- A stud or projection,- a,

ment of arm 1". (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) serves to maintainthe arm in either cxtremelimit of its movement, it being understood thatsaid arm is constructed in the character of a spring, so that at itsforward or free end it will bear down upon base-plate h.

Extending rearwardly from frame q is a rod, 0, which supports at itsrearward extremity a bracket,-w, in a hole bored in which is verticallysecured a rod or post, 1 adjustable by means of the set-screw z, as isclearly represented in Fig. 2.

A short shaft, a, is supported ina bearing formed in the upper end ofrod 3 and to the end of said shaft,extending toward the needles of thehead I), is secured by means of a screw, b, a circular knife, 0, havinga concave form on the side facing the needles, said concave form of faceextending from substantially the scales cutting'edge inward toward thecenter of the.

placed a spiral spring, 6, which surrounds the shaft and operates with atendency-0f pressing the knife 0 toward the needles, for a purpose to bepresently explained.

Secured to bracket w on the side facing the needles is anotherbracket,f. The means by which the latter is attached to the former ishere represented asa screw, 9, passing through a slot in the shank ofthe latter bracket,where by itis rendered adjustable vertically on theformer. To the horizontal arm of the bracket f is attached a plate, h,horizontally adj ustable toward and from the needlesf by means of ascrew, i, passing through a slotin said horizontal arm and into saidplate. On the forward end of plate It is secured the stationa'ry knifej, having a finger, j", extending down from its forward end close to thebeveled edge of the upper ends of the clampingsect-ions g.

As shown, the circular knife 0 bears at its side near its rim againststationary knifej on that side thereof opposite the needles, spiralspring e operating to press the circular knife against the stationaryknife with a yielding pressure.

Secured to the rear edge of stationary knife j and plate It, or anyother part of the machine adapted to support the same, is a hood orguide, is, extending from said knives rearwardly to any convenientdistance or point.

To a collar, 1, surrounding the bearing in which shaft a is supported,is attached or integrally connected a shield, m, extending up overcircular knife 0, and on the upper edge of saidshield is formed asmallcup, n, adapted to contain a packing saturated with a lubricant. Saidpacking passes through a small hole in the bottom of cup 12 and intocontact v with the edge of circular knife 0, which arrangement serves toprevent anything from accidentally falling upon or being broughtintocontact with the cutting-edge of theknife, and at the same timelubricate the later, so as to avoid friction and wear.

To the end of shaft at opposite the needles is secured a pulley, 0,having a substantially convex face, thecrown of which is at or near thecenter, and loosely mounted on said shaft between the end of its bearingor support and fixed pulley o is a pulley, 19, having an inclined face,the side adjacent to pulley 0 coinciding therewith, so that if saidpulleys were secured together as one their face would incline from thecenter or near the center of pulley o" to the rim of pulley p, and fromsaid point on pulley 0 in the opposite direction to the rim of thelatter.

Extending around pulleys op to and around a pulley, g, is a belt, r.Said pulley q is sccured to a shaft, 8, supported in brackets t, securedto and extending upward from the rear of the table a. At an appropriatepoint 011 shaft 8 is a pulley, it, around which pulley and anotherpulley, v, on driving shaft 0 passes a belt, w, by which'shaft s isrotated, by which latter shaft, through the medium of instrumentalitiesfully portrayed in Fig. 1, rotary cutter c is operated.

The operation of our invention will now be fully understood by thoseskilled in the art with the merest outline of explanation: A stocking orother article of apparel having been completed, and it being desired tobegin the knitting of another, the rotation of the head I) from thedriving-shaft is stopped in any of the ways that may be providedtherefor, and by means of arm r the trimming-knives, their supports, andadjuncts are moved into operative position, which is the full-lineposition in which they are represented in Fig. 1, which movements ofsaid parts will cause belt 1" to pass from loose pulley p to fast pulley0, the peculiar form of the face of said pulleys facilitating thisoperation. This will cause shaft a, and with it circular knife 0, to berapidly revolved. The operator now proceeds to "pick or run on theribbed top or cuff or other previously-formed web. turning the needlecylinder or head by hand as fast as the latter operation is effected,when the edge or portion of the fabric projecting from the needles,coming in contact with the knives c j, will be trimmed off on a line asclose to the course of stitches on the needles as the position to whichthe knives are adjusted relative thereto will permit, the concave formof the face of circular knife 0 permitting of a close adjustment to theshanks or stems of the needles without interference with or injury tothe barbs or hooks of the needles. The trimmed-off edge will be carriedaway from the operative parts of the machine by the hood or guide 7;,and should the projecting edge be curled into a roll or other form theprojecting finger j" on knife j will guide or direct it into properposition relative to the knives to be trimmed off, and by locating thetrimming device immediately in the rear of the clearing-wheel and justbe,- yond the point where the fabric is first depressed by thepush-back, the trimming takes place as soon as the projecting edge isdepressed into proper position relative to the stems of the needles andbefore from any cause its position can be further disturbed. It is to beunderstood that while the top or previously-formed fabric is beingpicked or run upon the needles the usual knitting operations are inprogress and will take place as fast as the needle-cylinderis turned byhand, thesame as if the cylinder were turned by power, so that thetrimming and knitting are performed simultaneously, securing a greatsaving of time. The projecting edge is by the mode and means explainedvery evenly trimmed off and the course or fraction of a course left inthe line of loops by which the top was picked upon the needles is fulledin the open or slack course in finishing the article of apparel knit,thus effectually closing the otherwise open loops of said picking-oncourse. After the fabric has been picked on and the needlecylinderturned substantially once around,the projecting edge will have beentrimmed off, as hereinbefore described, and a full course will have beenknit onto the picked-011 web. The trimming device is now adjusted to thedottedline position of Fig. 1, by which it is thrown out of operativeposition and the belt 1" shifted from the fast pulley 0 to loose pulleyp, as before, when the knitting operations are proceeded with as beforeuninterrupted and uninterfered with by the trimming device.

\Ve have here shown the trimming device applied to a spring-beardknittingmachine, in which the needles do not reciprocate; but it isobvious that it may be applied to a latchneedle machine, in which theneedles do reciprocate, and to other forms of machines, mechanicalingenuity alonebeing allthatis necessary to adapt it to different stylesor types of machines, and the concave form of the circular knifeextending from substantially the cutting-edge inward toward the centerof the knife permitting the unobstructed operation of the beards orhooks and latches of the needles, which would not be the case if theface of the knife adjacent to the needles were flat for any substantialdistance inward from its out ting-edge.

Other changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the partswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

\Ve are aware that it is not new during the operation of uniting two ormore pieces of knit or other fabric to mechanically trim off the surplusmaterial outside of the seam; hence we do not claim the mode of trimminga fabric and the performance of any other act simultaneously therewith,but confine ourselves tothe mode particularly set forth in the claims,whereby simultaneously with the pro cess of forming or knitting thefabric it is trimmed and to this extent finished, as has hereinbeforebeen described and shown.

\Vhile we have set forth our invention as adapted to trim off theprojecting edges of ribbed tops-that is, tops of stockings and the likeknit in rib-stitchit is not of course confined in its use to thatparticular class of goods.

\Vhat we claim is 1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing andfinishing a knit fabric, which consists in picking or running a singlecourse of stitches of a previously-knit fabric on the needles of alniitting-machine, leaving an edge or portion of such fabric projectingfrom the needles, and then proceeding with the knitting in such singlepicked-on course, and simultaneously therewith trimming off such si ngleprojecting edge, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

of such trimmedoff edge in the line of 2. The improvement in the art ofmanufacturing and finishing a knit fabric, which consists in picking orrunning on the needles a previously-knit fabric, then proceeding withthe knitting of the same, and simultaneously trimming off suchprojecting edge, leaving a course or fractional part of a course ofloops or stitches by which the previously-knit fabric was picked on theneedles, and falling such first-inentioned course or fractional part ofa course into said last'mentioned course or line of loops, as set forth.

3. The combination,with a needle-head and its needles, oftrimming-knives, substantially as described, located in close proximityto the needles, whereby an edge projecting from the needles may betrimmed off close to the main fabric as the knittingprogresses,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. A rotary trimmingknife, 0', having a concaved face, said concave formof face extending from its periphery or cutting-edge inward toward itscenter, substantially as and for thepurpose hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination, with the needle-head and its needles, ofa stationaryknife and a rotary knife, c,adapted to co operate therewith, said rotaryknife having a concaved face, and said concave form of face extendingfrom the periphery or cuttingedge ofthe knife inward toward its center,whereby provision is made for the operation of the knife close to theneedles without interference with the beards or latches of the latter,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

6. The combination, with the needle-head and needles ofa knittingmachine, of a rotary anda stationary trimming-knife adapted to trim anedge projecting from the needles, said rotary knife having a concavedface, and said stationary knife being provided with the guiding-finger jfor bringing the projecting edge into proper position to be trimmed off,

substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the needlehead and needles of aknitting-machine, the needlehead being provided with clamping-sectionsbeveled on their upper outer edges, of a rotary and a stationarytrimming-knife adapted to trim an edge projecting from the needles, saidstationary knife being provided with a guiding-fingerJ, arranged closeto the beveled edge of the clamping sections, for bringing theprojecting edge into proper position to be trimmed off, substantially asset forth.

loops 8. The combination, with the needle-head and needles of aknitting-machine, ofa trimming mechanism, substantially as set forth,for trimming off a projecting edge of a fabric picked on the needles, amovable support for said trimming mechanism, means for operating thetrimming mechanism and needle-head, and devices, substantially asexplained, for moving said support to bring the trimming mechanism intooperative or inoperative position, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the needle-head and needles ofaknitting'machine, ofa trimming mechanism adapted to trim off an edge ofa picked-on web projecting from the needle, the guiding-finger j", andguide or hood is, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. The combination, with the needle-head andneedlesofaknitting-maehine,ofatrimming mechanism comprising a rotaryknife having a concaved face and a stationary knife adapted toco-operate with said rotary knife for trimming off an edge of a fabricprojecting from the needles,and means for adj ustingsaid trimming-knivesnearer to or farther from the needles, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination, with the rotary cutter and its shaft, of the fastand loose pulleys,having their faces formed substantially as hereinshown and described, and means for adjusting the position ofsaid shaftand ping the belt, as set forth.

12. The combination, with the rotary and stationary cutter, of theoil-cup n, provided with a packing in contact with the rotary knife, forapplying a lubricant to the cutters, as set forth.

13. The combination,with the rotating head, of the push-back,clearing-wheel, and trimming device, located in the rear of theclearing-wheel and front of the push-back, as set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 19th day of May, 1886.

EDGAR G. COVELL. ELISHA S. ORAM. WILLIAM E. SHEEHAN.

-Witnesses for Oovell and Cram: 1 BERT S. WADLEIGH,

JOHN T. OOFFIN. Witnesses for Sheehan:

ARTHUR W. OROSSLEY,

G. F. BROWN.

pulleys for ship-

